Latest news with #MuchAdoAboutNothing
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Stratford Festival mourns the loss of actor Michael Blake, co-star of ATP's King James
Actor Michael Blake, who played a variety of roles during 10 seasons at the Stratford Festival, has died, the company announced on Monday. Article content Blake, 53, was considered one of the most gifted actors of his generation. He played an extraordinary variety of parts and did so with an ability and ease that was rare, the Festival said in a release. Article content Article content 'Each part Michael played was powerfully realized,' Stratford Festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino said. 'His work was true and realistic. His portrayals had an integrity that was compelling. It drew you into his reality.' Article content Article content Blake also performed at theatres across Canada, as well as on film and TV, but he will be remembered in Stratford for bringing to life a variety of characters — an unforgettable Othello, a heartbreaking Macduff in Macbeth, a good-hearted Master Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, a delightfully villainous Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, a commanding Cominius in Coriolanus, an excellent Duke of Clarence in Richard III, and Albany in King Lear. Those performances have been captured on film, the Festival said. Article content Article content It total, Blake performed in 25 Stratford productions between 2011 and 2023, including Errico in Napoli Milionaria!, Mr. Balance in The School for Scandal, George Deever in All My Sons, Edmund in King Lear, Dumaine in All's Well That Ends Well, Cleante in Tartuff, and Sebastian in Twelfth Night. Article content
New York Post
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Kate Beckinsale announces her mom's death after cancer battle: ‘Died in my arms'
Kate Beckinsale's mother, Judy Loe, has passed away at age 78. The actress, 51, revealed the news in a heartbreaking social media post on Thursday. 'I don't want to post this. I am only posting this because I have had to register my mother's death certificate and it will soon become public record,' Beckinsale began. 'She died the night of July 15th in my arms after immeasurable suffering. I have not picked all the best photos, nor the best videos, because I cannot bear to go through my camera roll yet.' 8 Judy Loe with her daughter Katie Beckinsale. Getty Images 'I deeply apologise to any of her friends who are finding out this way or through the press, but I cannot go through her phone. I am paralysed,' the 'Underworld' alum added. Beckinsale went on to praise her mother and point out the late star's best qualities. 'The vastness and huge heart of this tiny woman has touched so many people who love her dearly,' she continued. 'She has been brave in so many ways, forgiving sometimes too much, believing in the ultimate good in people and the world is so dim without her that it is nearly impossible to bear.' 8 Judy Loe in 1996. Getty Images Beckinsale concluded her post with a touching message to her mother, penning, 'Mama, I love you so much. This has been my greatest fear since finding my father dead at five and I am here. Oh my Mama.. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I am so sorry.' Her father, actor Richard Beckinsale, died of a heart attack in 1979. He was 31 years old. 'I remember confusing when John Lennon died and when my dad died because people were standing in the street with the evening paper sobbing on both occasions and I can't remember which version of that is which because they were very similar,' Beckinsale told Howard Stern in 2021. 8 Kate Beckinsale poses with her mom. Kate Beckinsale/Instagram The news of Loe's death comes after the 'Much Ado About Nothing' vet revealed her mom had stage 4 cancer in July 2024. At the time, Beckinsale was responding to 'a–holes' who said that her 'ass ran away.' 'No, actually. I watched my stepfather die quite shockingly, my mother has stage 4 cancer, and I lost a lot of weight from stress and grief, quite quickly,' she replied. Beckinsale's stepfather, British TV director Roy Battersby, died in January 2024 after suffering 'a massive stroke' while battling two types of cancer, per Sky News. 8 Kate Beckinsale and her mother Judy Loe. Kate Beckinsale/Instagram She reposted a fan-made video on Instagram after Battersby's death, which showed him recalling how he celebrated Victory in Europe Day in 1945. 'I have no words yet,' she said beneath the tribute. 'I fought for you with everything I had. Oh Roy I am so sorry I lost.' In February, after a social media break, Beckinsale returned to Instagram to ask followers for prayers for her mom. 8 Judy Loe poses for a picture on a couch. Kate Beckinsale/Instagram 'I wasn't going to come back to Instagram,' she captioned the post, 'but anyone who has a spare prayer or magic or miracle or sunbeam please send it to my mama, my most extraordinary, warrior, generous, humble, loving, unique, irreplaceable Mama.' Beckinsale noted, 'Thank you 🙏🏼 -Lord, keep her safe this night, secure from all her fears, may angels guard her while she sleeps till morning light appears 🤍🤍🤍 amen.' Just a week before Loe's death, Beckinsale took to Instagram to share a video of herself singing The Everly Brothers' 1958 hit 'Bye Bye Love' by her mom's hospital bed. 8 Kate Beckinsale with her mother Judy Loe during a visit to College House Junior School. PA Images via Getty Images She belted out the tune in honor of a harmony group that Loe used to be in with her three best friends, Mary, Sylvia and Chris, at age 14. 'I am a very poor substitute not being a very good singer,' Beckinsale wrote beneath the clip. 'But I want my mum's dearest and oldest friends in her hospital room with her.' '[Sylvia] and Chris, please know I'm trying to keep the Four Teens going as best as I can from a distance and I love you both,' she shared before explaining, 'It is a mark of my mother's extraordinary capacity for love and deep respect for relationship history that her friendships with her early school friends are still so very current.' 8 Kate Beckinsale sings to her mom in the hospital. Instagram/@katebeckinsale Earlier this month, Beckinsale referenced a difficult situation while responding to fans who criticized her physical appearance. Followers commented beneath bikini pictures she had shared, writing, 'You don't look good. I think you honestly need help,' and 'Oh sweetheart, I honestly think you have a problem!!!' Beckinsale clapped back, stating, 'Yes, I do. I'm going through one of the most deeply painful times of my life. The body keeps the score.' The 'Pearl Harbor' actress was also hospitalized due to a hole in her esophagus last year. 8 Beckinsale with her award for Best Film Actress and her mother Judy Loe during the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards. WireImage In May 2024, Beckinsale revealed she has a condition called mast cell activation syndrome, which occurs when the mast cells in the body release too much of a substance that causes allergy-like symptoms. 'I actually can't. I have a condition called mast cell activation syndrome which is actually a massive daily struggle and means I react to hundreds of things badly,' she fired back at trolls who accused her of having Botox and fillers. 'Can't take the risk.'
Epoch Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
A Case for Reviving Folk Music Jam Sessions
Since before recorded history, music has brought people together and sustained the cultural and social life of civilization. Music—a universal language—seems to bypass all formalities and go straight to the heart, moving us with a mysterious power. As Benedick quips in Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing,' referring to a common material for instrument strings at the time: 'Is it not strange that sheeps' guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?' The music begins to flow, and we fall silent, carried away on its tide. Traditionally, music emerges from a social context; sitting alone and listening to music is a relatively modern activity—unless you count the solitary musician playing an instrument for his own amusement. Folk music in particular is intertwined with social life; it interacts with the culture, tradition, and daily life of specific communities, shaping and being shaped by them. We can benefit ourselves and our communities by reviving this social and artistic practice, which brings people together in the appreciation of beauty like nothing else. Hosting folk music get-togethers isn't as hard as it sounds. A Short History of Folk Music
The Province
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
Theatre: The women get their say and the dog has its day in Bard on the Beach's season-opening comedies
Jennifer Lines as Beatrice and Sheldon Elter as Benedick in Bard on the Beach's Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Emily Cooper / Bard on the Beach Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Much Ado About Nothing This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The Two Gentlemen of Verona When: To Sept. 20 Where: Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park Tickets, info: From $35 at Bard on the Beach opens its 36th season in its big tent with two of Shakespeare's romantic comedies playing in repertory. Each is engaging in its own way but stylistically they couldn't be more different. Director Johnna Wright gives Much Ado About Nothing a conventional Elizabethan-style setting while The Two Gentlemen of Verona gets the full 1980s Don Johnson-Jane Fonda-George Michael treatment from Dean Paul Gibson. Both amusing productions end with similar twists: Altered endings provide correctives to the plays' blatant misogyny. Much Ado is the superior play, featuring the famous battle of comic wits between wannabe but reluctant lovers Beatrice (Jennifer Lines) and Benedick (Sheldon Elter) plus a dramatic subplot involving young romantics Claudio (Angus Yam) and Hero (Jennifer Tong). Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Benedick vows to live a bachelor, and Beatrice will have no man with a beard or without one. But when Don Pedro (Matthew Ip Shaw) and friends plot to get them together, a few comic scenes later they're done. Meanwhile, Don Pedro's evil brother Don John (Karthik Kadam) plots to ruin Claudio and Hero's marriage, staging a scene that makes Hero look like a slut. Both Claudio and Don Pedro fall for it. When the villainy is revealed by goofy Constable Dogberry (Scott Bellis) and his posse, every boy gets to have his girl without further ado, despite Claudio's appalling behaviour towards innocent Hero. So director Wright has appended text by playwright Erin Shields: a long monologue by Beatrice at the beginning of the play about Hero and a long monologue by Hero at the end, scolding Claudio and pointing out the injustices she has suffered. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Thematically, I get it. Theatrically, it doesn't really work. What works best is the zest with which Lines and Elter parry and thrust in Beatrice and Benedick's love battles on Pam Johnson's gorgeous set through which we watch the sun slowly set. Bard on the Beach The Two Gentlemen of Verona Photo by Emily Cooper / Bard of the Beach The Two Gentlemen of Verona also features two sets of lovers but only a single plot. Valentine (Ip Shaw) mocks best pal Proteus (Jacob Leonard) for falling in love with Julia (Tess Degenstein). But Valentine falls in love with Silvia (Agnes Tong). Then Proteus also falls for Silvia, abandoning Julia, who follows him disguised as a boy. Sylvia's father (Elter) wants her to marry blockhead Turio (Tanner Zerr). This is pretty thin material so Gibson lays on the dumb fun '80s style. Characters enter, exit, and change scenes carrying boom boxes, dancing (choreography by Nicol Spinola) to sound designer Malcolm Dow's pounding disco beats and Gerald King's kaleidoscopic lighting in gorgeously horrid period clothing (especially the men's) from costumer Carmen Allatore. Shakespeare's dialogue is peppered with contemporary interjections: OK, shut up. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In the end, all the complications get straightened out, but not before some really nasty behaviour by Proteus and Valentine, whose bromance is stronger than their respect for the women. Silvia, the character with integrity, has some strong speeches. But the coup de grace here is not rhetorical as in Much Ado. Forget the traditional marriage celebration. The production concludes with a gang of heavily armed women dancing violently to Pat Benatar. The comic coup in this production is the beautifully understated performance of Scott Bellis as the servant Launce, joined by his equally funny, very low-key dog Crab, played adorably by Bard artistic director Christopher Gaze's pooch Mason.
Vancouver Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Theatre: The women get their say and the dog has its day in Bard on the Beach's season-opening comedies
Much Ado About Nothing The Two Gentlemen of Verona When: To Sept. 20 Where: Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park Tickets, info: From $35 at Bard on the Beach opens its 36th season in its big tent with two of Shakespeare's romantic comedies playing in repertory. Each is engaging in its own way but stylistically they couldn't be more different. Director Johnna Wright gives Much Ado About Nothing a conventional Elizabethan-style setting while The Two Gentlemen of Verona gets the full 1980s Don Johnson-Jane Fonda-George Michael treatment from Dean Paul Gibson. Both amusing productions end with similar twists: Altered endings provide correctives to the plays' blatant misogyny. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Much Ado is the superior play, featuring the famous battle of comic wits between wannabe but reluctant lovers Beatrice (Jennifer Lines) and Benedick (Sheldon Elter) plus a dramatic subplot involving young romantics Claudio (Angus Yam) and Hero (Jennifer Tong). Benedick vows to live a bachelor, and Beatrice will have no man with a beard or without one. But when Don Pedro (Matthew Ip Shaw) and friends plot to get them together, a few comic scenes later they're done. Meanwhile, Don Pedro's evil brother Don John (Karthik Kadam) plots to ruin Claudio and Hero's marriage, staging a scene that makes Hero look like a slut. Both Claudio and Don Pedro fall for it. When the villainy is revealed by goofy Constable Dogberry (Scott Bellis) and his posse, every boy gets to have his girl without further ado, despite Claudio's appalling behaviour towards innocent Hero. So director Wright has appended text by playwright Erin Shields: a long monologue by Beatrice at the beginning of the play about Hero and a long monologue by Hero at the end, scolding Claudio and pointing out the injustices she has suffered. Thematically, I get it. Theatrically, it doesn't really work. What works best is the zest with which Lines and Elter parry and thrust in Beatrice and Benedick's love battles on Pam Johnson's gorgeous set through which we watch the sun slowly set. The Two Gentlemen of Verona also features two sets of lovers but only a single plot. Valentine (Ip Shaw) mocks best pal Proteus (Jacob Leonard) for falling in love with Julia (Tess Degenstein). But Valentine falls in love with Silvia (Agnes Tong). Then Proteus also falls for Silvia, abandoning Julia, who follows him disguised as a boy. Sylvia's father (Elter) wants her to marry blockhead Turio (Tanner Zerr). This is pretty thin material so Gibson lays on the dumb fun '80s style. Characters enter, exit, and change scenes carrying boom boxes, dancing (choreography by Nicol Spinola) to sound designer Malcolm Dow's pounding disco beats and Gerald King's kaleidoscopic lighting in gorgeously horrid period clothing (especially the men's) from costumer Carmen Allatore. Shakespeare's dialogue is peppered with contemporary interjections: OK, shut up. In the end, all the complications get straightened out, but not before some really nasty behaviour by Proteus and Valentine, whose bromance is stronger than their respect for the women. Silvia, the character with integrity, has some strong speeches. But the coup de grace here is not rhetorical as in Much Ado. Forget the traditional marriage celebration. The production concludes with a gang of heavily armed women dancing violently to Pat Benatar. The comic coup in this production is the beautifully understated performance of Scott Bellis as the servant Launce, joined by his equally funny, very low-key dog Crab, played adorably by Bard artistic director Christopher Gaze's pooch Mason.
